The National Theatre

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Agada ò morí alágbẹ̀dẹ.
Eng: The sword cannot tell the smith's head from others. - Yoruba Proverb.
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I'm so busy, I apologize for my absence.
A friend correctly called me scissor-hungry. I've chopped off my hair five times in three years (to my father's disdain). Anyway, I'm repenting.

The National Theatre.

7 Months Ago:

Stay Naked!

NakedSha.

What Nigeria Does for My Heart

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: A kì í fini joyè àwòdì ká má lè gbádìẹ.
English: One cannot be given the title “eagle” and yet be incapable of snatching chickens. - Yoruba Proverb.
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Nigeria is where I was born and grew up so there are so many things that go on that I'm used to, unlike a visitor who would be intrigued by a mother carrying a baby strapped with a wrapper on her back or by a nomad man and his herd of the cattle in the middle of the street or by a family that chooses to close down an entire street to throw a lavish funeral or traditional wedding ceremony.

Nigerians have been fighting for a long time. All we've known how to do is have our defenses up and be ready to protect ourselves since we have very little protection from elsewhere. This is very evident in the customer service and the general attitude from commercial transport workers and the road users. However, Nigerians are extraordinarily resilient people and against all odds, the spirit of family and oneness exists among everyone. It’s no wonder so much wealth and so much poverty have been able to co-exist. The man in the cramped, Indomie-panted storey building in the heart of Lagos keeps hoping that one day, he will be like his neighbor in the skyscraper along the Eko Marina. Once, I was returning from Rebuilding Lives and there was a Keke NAPEP driving at top speed across the Third Mainland Bridge. That in itself is not unusual but there were seven people inside the Keke and one man hanging onto it from outside. By the time I got out my camera, it was too late to get a picture. L But Nigeria is home to many contradictions and Nigerians will thrive no matter what is thrown at us.

The climate for Arts, Literature and Theatre is being restored slowly but surely. I am grateful for this. I was able to attend a good number of such events. I’m glad for the accessibility, even though there’s a lot of room for improvement.

The LifeHouse on Sinari Daranijo street, Farafina Trust (and Kachifo Limited), Silverbird Group, Taruwa, etc are some of the innovations that deserve credit for hosting book-readings, concerts, literary workshops and thorough libraries; mostly for free.

NakedSha and Aderonke Williams Adeosun (read her published story here) at E.C Osondu’s book-reading for Voice of America.  

I was in Port Harcourt city twice this summer. If you were born in Port Harcourt or have lived there at all, you understand that there is only one way we eat bole (roasted plantain). This food originated in the West amongst the Yorubas but is eaten there with ekpa (groundnuts). In the south, however, fish is first coated with palm oil and pepper, and  roasted alongside the plantains. Then a special sauce is prepared and the entire meal is covered in this sauce. In PH city, bole is a meal. I had missed bole and fish (as well as isi-ewu, ekpang kukwo, native soup and isam (periwinkles)) and I enjoyed all these while I was there.

Bole and Fish

Rivers Native Soup

When someone travels, they usually do not unpack their bags entirely while they visit the new place until they have returned home. Nigeria is that place where my suitcase is always fully unpacked. It’s where I can let my anchor down because I know that I – or my heart, at least – will be there for a long time. I miss it every day even though I’m having a fantastic time where I am now. I miss the praise and worship in church, the weddings, the laughter, the food, the family, the richness and diversity of culture and the never-ending traffic [well, maybe not]. Before I make sense of time, I’ll be back home to where the inspiration for my stories never ends.

Unlike Furtado: I’m like a bird, I want to fly away. BUT, I know where my home is and, I’ll be back to where my soul is.

^^ Morning of day 1: I wanted agege bread so badly. My sister and I went all the way to the main junction to find some.

Bless,
NakedSha.

My Face on the Cover Page of Knowing Words.

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: A kì í fi ẹ̀tẹ̀ sílẹ̀ pa làpálàpá.
English: One does not ignore leprosy to treat a rash - Yoruba proverb.
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This semester, this picture is featured on the cover page of one of the (CU Boulder) Program for Writing and Rhetoric freshman level textbooks - Knowing Words.

This is so thrilling.

The entire cover looks so pretty.

It's beautiful. I was credited on the first page of the book and it's interesting to see my full name in print, even though the only business I have with the book is the front cover.

#IntoMyLetterBoxACopyOfThisBookGoes.

So thankful :)

On another note, I have quite some to write about Nigeria and my trip which ended two days ago. I need a couple days to finish up my other engagements for friends'  blogs and BBP will have my attention.

God bless,
NakedSha...

A State of Seclusion, one of Confusion.

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Eng: A hunter who has only one arrow does not shoot carelessly. - Nigerian proverb.
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Hello beautiful people. I did say it was a good week...It's okay, the next post will be a written one.

I took the first two pics in FL last week, of Ar.Aboki. Ar.  Thanks man for being my subject. I've had the others for a while. They all have one theme.

SOLITUDE

Solitude [sol-i-tood, -tyood] - The State of being or living alone; seclusion. 

NakedSha.

Chronicles of a coconut face...

NakedSha

Life is short. Breathe fast sometimes, breathe deep other times. You can't do both at the same time.
- NakedSha

Agege Bread has Competition...

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Kékerè nìmàle-é ti ńkọ ọmọ-ọ ẹ̀ lóṣòó.
Eng: The muslim teaches his children how to squat from their youth.  - Yoruba proverb.
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I absolutely do not spare myself when it comes to good food. I also take pictures of many things I cook and/or eat. Somethings are quickly butting heads with Agege Bread. Here goes competition.

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY!

^^Hapa on Pearl Street. - Menu Item #17

^^Hapa on Pearl Street - Menu Item #3a

^^Home-cooked asaro

^^Hapa on Pearl Street, Menu #13

^^CU Boulder Persian Station

Let you mouth water...Bless.

I cannot see through this light!

...Omonoba...

PHOTOGRAPHY!
{NakedSha Photography}

NakedSha chopped off her 'fro. :|

NakedSha <3

All roads lead to Daytona Beach, Florida!

...Omonoba...
Our People Say:
Eng: Do not scratch the itching eye with what you scratch the ear. - Igbo Proverb. 
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Hello Beautiful people,

The time has come again - the 2nd Annual National African Students'Association Conference is here. Natl. ASA is a phenomenal organization, growing dynamically and mobilizing students, friends, youth, etc of Africa for action within and beyond African communities.

                               Cross Section of Delegates.                  CU Boulder Students


Registration is now OPEN! This year's conference is hosted by Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Dayton Beach, FL., from the 18th - 20th of March, 2011. Grab your school's A.S.A, grab your friends (or come by yourself) and get registered!!!

I attended the inaugural conference last year in Atlanta, Georgia and the experience was worthwhile. We built many solid friendships and networks which are still alive and thriving till this day and from the keynote speaker to the dance parties to the food to the workshops; everything was great. This year promises to be even better.

National A.S.A Website

Join the Facebook page

Follow Natl. ASA on Twitter

Find pictures of last year's conference on Jaguda.

{MJV Photography}

This is not just ANY gathering of African peoples, this is a down-to-earth, fun-filled, dynamic, empowering conference. I'll be looking out for every single one of you!

Blessings,
NakedSha

...for as long as the sea has salt.

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Ẹní léku méjì á pòfo.
English: Whoever chases after two rats will catch neither. - Yoruba proverb.
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{Straight Line}

[Remember this post, this is the same thread roll from then...it has indeed lasted]

{Solitude}

{Food Circles (onion rings, boiling)}

              {"Mekops"}        

"Let me find beauty in even the bare breeze, for as long as the sea has salt. Inshallah, Amen. " - NakedSha

NakedSha.

A picture of paintbrushes!

...Omonoba...
Our People Say:
Ishan: Emhinh erebhe ne ribhi omhọn ti egbele itata. 
Eng: Every ingredient in soup likes to be seen as meat. - Ishan Proverb.
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. I like to exchange postcards (just like letters). I sent a postcard to KTravula of KTravula.com and he sent me four very beautiful postcards in return. Actually, two of them were photographs and two were actual postcards. I had to share the photographs.

 

{These paintbrushes belong to a friend of KTravula's.} 

{The St. Louis Arch, a view from the bridge - KTravula.}

Today's Facial Art!

{Right: Original Photo} I think my eyebrow scar looks very unique. Love it.

Have a blessed week, my people. And congratulations on the completion of another term / semester / year / degree, etc. I wish those who are still writing exams the very best.

My name is NakedSha.

My life is not a badge...

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Kí ni eégún ńwò tí kò fi òwúrọ̀ jó?
Eng: What was the masquerader looking at that he did not take advantage of the morning to dance? - Yoruba Proverb.
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Pele, my people. My majors are very demanding and I am busy with school work, Intl. Students, African Students Assoc., E-Centre, etc. Things are not getting any less busy, so bear with me. For instance:

One chilly morning last week, I left home to school looking like this:

By the end of the day, I was in another city with other Bioneers looking like this:

I was so inappropriately dressed but I'm glad I answered the call. This community was very disheartening. There is a project at hand, GrowHaus, to provide healthy food for this low-income community sitting right in the middle of the industrial area of Commerce City, CO. Almost a hundred percent of residents are of minority standing and live there not because they want to but because they have to. They DO NOT HAVE A GROCERY STORE within at least THREE MILES. In the States, this means that they have to rely on convenience stores (7-11, etc) and extremely "fast food" (McDonald's, etc). Not good. GrowHaus is providing employment, creativity, food, sales, etc for this community. 

My life is not a badge, it's a responsibility. 

:)

Have a blessed weekend,

NakedSha.

Inshallah. Amen!

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Ọ̀kùn-ún mọ̀nà tẹ́lẹ̀ kójú ẹ̀ tó fọ́.
English: The millipede knew the way before it went blind.- Yoruba proverb.
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-> To that reader who has tons of her brothers'/ boyfriend's/husband's/friends' shirts in her closet or those who straight up buy men's clothing in stores. My brothers are tired of me! :)

"I close the doors and open the south window. Maybe, just maybe another soul will hear the crisp joy in my song of praise and thanksgiving and the flawless fluidity in my chords." Sing with me:

Hallelujah, Inshallah, Amen!

{Hallelujah, if God wills, let it be!}

 Interesting facts:

1. My guitar is fourteen years old. My father bought it when we lived in the Netherlands and he gave me what has become one of my most cherished material possessions.

2. The shirt in the picture (and half of my shirts) belongs to my older brother. 

3. I still wear a wrist-watch. If you do, holla!

4. I have no more than twenty five pieces of clothing at any given time in my closet. I find myself always trying to get rid of unnecessary things. It's impossible to tell; thank you, creativity.

Have a blessed rest-of-the-week and don't forget to count your blessings and give thanks! 

NakedSha!

Oh time, along with your favorite accessory...

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba:Ohun tí ajá rí tó fi ńgbó ò tó èyí tí àgùntàn-án fi ńṣèran wò.
English: That which a dog sees and barks at is nothing compared to what the sheep contemplates in silence. - Yoruba proverb.
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Incense is burning

Tea is warming

Letters are piling

...yet, nothing has changed.

Oh time, along with your favorite accessory - distance, please have mercy on me. Lend me but an inch closer   and let the piling letters be fewer.

Amen.

I am a happy soul

...Omonoba...
Our People Say:
Eng: As you worship plantain, remember to worship banana as well. - Ghanaian Proverb.
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I am a happy soul.

I found love...
...within myself. This one was easy and it took much less time than it took to learn how to tie shoelaces.

I found love, again... 
...in the midst of the simplest names - Passion, Bethlehem, Heaven. The complicated ones - Chikaodinaka, Amenawon, Aituariagbon. That a man and a woman or their child's uncle's mother-in-law saw a future and called the child that future.

I found love, again...
...in my salvation.

I found love, again...
...when the ground screamed in loneliness and tore it's chapped skin. And the sky heard it and sent down wet kisses.

I found love, again...
...in between the pages of books. That someone sat down and wrote down their story or one that they wished belonged to them or one that they wished they never had. And myself, my very own first lover, chose to be a part of this gift.

I found love again...
...within every stanza of a good song or a good poem. A good poem soaked my eyes and a good song warmed my heart - or froze it. And the  black and white keys or the brown strings that played this good song.

I found love again...
...not very much in their vows at the altar but after a warm night dinner to her grown daughter; 'find a man like your father' or to his son; 'find a woman like your mother'.

I found love again...
...in my mother's cooking and my father's 'cooking'.

I found love again...
...in pieces of ankara and how the patterns always made sense.

I found love again...
...after my wardrobe went empty and no one knew where things went. But the next day at church, my sister had familiar clothes on her back.

I found love again...
...at least, before I turned forty.

I found love again...
...in bleeding. The worst I could do to it was divert its flow.

I found love again...
...in answers to my questions.

I found love again...
...in memories.

Compared to the depth and potential of love and life, nothing I write will ever be good enough. I'm glad that I found love but thankfully, LOVE FOUND ME FIRST. vv

'BORN AGAIN' T-Shirt. 

This is one of the reasons I wear t-shirts - to share a message or something I love.

Have a blessed weekend,
NakedSha.

Tell them why you're a little happier.

...Omonoba...
Our People Say:
Eng: It is only when you kill a mad man that you will find out that he has relatives. - Igbo Proverb.
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I read the book: I do not Come to You by Chance written by Adaobi Nwaubani. I liked it a lot. I'm not very great at doing reviews so this would be quite brief. Her sentences are crisp and clear and she sometimes uses repitition and common language to drive home her point. I like her writing style more than any other aspect of this book. Also, she tells a story of '419' (scam(s)) and the daily conflicts between becoming a 'big-boy' and providing for family from the '419' business in everyday Nigeria. I recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a next book authored by a Nigerian. I have a slight fetish for long and complex native names and two characters (even though, minor) in this book had interesting Igbo names (Chikaodinaka and Odinkemelu).  The book was generally well sentenced and the grammar was clean except for one sentence that peeved me:

'...none of his posters were...' 

This grammatical error is so common and even the editor probably missed it. But oh well!

On a similar note, My friend, Osondu Awaraka reviews books very well. Both of us are in a book-reading pact for this new semester because we were slacking slightly. As I go, I'll update my list of read books and keep you in the loop. Visit his blog and let him know what you think about it. I am currently reading Chinua Achebe's Anthills of the Savannah. I know I'm late but better late than never. As usual, I'd let you know what I think when I'm done.

Yesterday, I had these delicious Nigerian Village-tasting pineapples for breakfast:

{Pineapples from Sprouts Farmer's Market.}

Eat more fruits and read more books. Then tell others why you're a little happier...

...a star for your day.

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Obì kékeré kọjá òkúta ńlá.
Eng: A small kolanut is superior to a large stone. - Yoruba proverb.
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Something to add a star to your day:

I have learned that:
'The more important things in life are more often than not the simpler ones like friends, family, laughter, rest, passion and birthday dinners...'

This picture was taken four months ago during my 'milestone' birthday. I was all teary-eyed and overwhelmed with joy.

{I'm in the pink-ish shirt, crying :)}

P.S: NEVER skip a birthday dinner. They are important. :)

Have a great rest-of-the-week...
NakedSha.

What my albino character taught me:

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Èèmejì letí olójà ńgbórò.
Eng: The ears of the king hear everything twice. - Yoruba Proverb.
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PH City (7months ago)

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 By the way: I feel very strongly the need to travel 'round Nigeria more. Now, I realize how much there is to see and do. When they ask me for my best country, it is not difficult to give an answer. 'I have drank many waters, eaten many foods, worn many clothes but have had only one home'...NakedSha.

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I am still writing about an albino. My friend, E-Smiles is giving me awesome moral support from Lagos and with him, I hope to cover a good portion of my research soon. Do you remember when we wrote stories as children and often, we would write about what we were not or what our little minds could best imagine? I remember. I wrote about pixies and elves (thanks to Enid Blyton) and midnight mountain adventures with long torches and a family dog (thanks to the Ladybird series). What happened to that culture? Now, it is almost the norm to write about what we are, who are are. Unfortunately, we soon run out of our own stories unless we reach out to tell those of others. Besides, telling my own story incites restraint. I am constantly thinking about what should be told and how much of it should not be shared. So now, I am writing about an albino and learning much more than I ever expected. In telling the stories of others, I learn from them. To my character, the sun is both an enemy and something that is secretly longed for because the sun seems to be darkening everyone else but bleaching him.

And I know now that I am just like the albino. Today, I long for age but deep down within me, I fear that age will bring wisdom that will swell and then burst like the party balloon. Until I become frail and useless. 

Bless,

NakedSha.

P.S, please visit E-Smiles here.

True Beauty - Sonia N. Osi.

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Igbo: Akwukwo juru n'ohia, ma a baa a choba okazi.
Eng: There are various leaves in the bush, but people go in to look for okazi leaves.-Igbo Proverb.
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Hello darlings. This post is just in time before we run out of July. It would have come sooner but the sweetheart subject of the post was getting done with exams.

So, Sonia N. Osi is featured on NaijaStories as the Writer of the Month (July, 2010). I have known Sonia for 8 years now and we are good friends. She actually calls me her sister and I regard her as mine too. So, she has been writing for a while and it is not surprising that she was featured on Naijastories. Find her interview here. She has shared some fun facts about herself .

{Find and become friends with her on Naijastories.com}.

Sonia's words:
1) I have a library of about 40 books. 
2) My worst genre of books is romance. I cannot explain why but the shallowness of Mills and Boons has something to do with it.
3) I'd rather write something than say it.
4) I get shy when I have to read something I wrote ranging from a bland text message to an essay on the environment, anything! I also get shy if my work is read in front of me.
5) And then for some other weird reason, I'm shy about my real-life actual friends reading my work too; I feel much more comfortable when strangers review/read my things.
6) I'm actually not a shy person despite the two previous points.
7) I've almost always kept a thinking journal. Yeah, you guessed right - that's the posh name for diary, hehe.
8) I have never understood it when people say everyone's got skeletons in their closet. I always feel left out when I hear that. 
9) It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Seriously? I find that funny. Very funny.
10) I could never be with a man who didn't wash his hands after using the bathroom. I'm just saying.

...and yet, she's a medical student in Debrecen, Hungary.

NakedSha loves you, Sonia. And you know it.
Enjoy, my darling readers,
NakedSha.

If I sent you a letter, would you...?

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Ení bá sùn là ńjí, a kì í jí apiroro.
Eng: One wakes only those that sleep; one does not wake those pretending to sleep. - Yoruba proverb.
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Pictures out of my letterbox:

^Bad handwriting day.

^One of the letters I received from my Secondary School Junior friends.

^

All these letters are years apart. I still write letters. I'm advocating for the useful old traditions that we once had like letter-writing. Remember to be careful with what you write because 'once written, forever there.'

Find a loved one and send them a letter. AND KEEP THEIRS

Hang in there, you just may receive a letter from me!!!

NakedSha...

From my album

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Kí a re odò ká sùn; kí ni ará ilé yó mu?
Eng: If we go to the river and sleep there, what will the people left at home drink?- Yoruba proverb.
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I would really love to share pictures with you all because I am an avid picture lover. It's intense. However, there are only so many without clear facial features and I have not resolved to reveal myself completely just yet. I am getting there, please be patient with me :)

A friend of mine took a picture of me strutting down this runway earlier this year. And my face is not very clear so it's perfect. Enjoy :)

Jacket: Macy's, Black Long Top (worn as dress) : Macy's

Belt: Francesca's Collections, Necklace : From my collection of beads.

Leggings: Target, Shoes: Random Store on Pearl Street

Ring: Francesca's Collections.

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Please bear with the quality of this photo.

Now that I think about it, this is an outfit I may be willing to don off the runway.

Bless your hearts people,

NakedSha.